President Obama Delivers the 2011 State of the Union Address

Last night, President Barack Obama delivered the 2011 State of the Union address. In a show of bipartisan solidarity following the recent tragic shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, Republicans and Democrats abandoned the traditional partisan divide in their seating arrangement, and instead sat together.

President Obama’s address was heavily focused on the domestic economic recovery, but it had some strong words on other fronts. In what appears to be a subtle repudiation to Congressman Peter King’s question of the loyalties of Muslim Americans, President Obama made a reference to America’s “conviction that American Muslims are a part of our American family.” That statement of affirmation was met with a standing ovation from members in the Chamber.

The President also expressed solidarity with the people of Tunisia in light of their uprising that ended the rule of President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, saying “The United States of America stands with the people of Tunisia, and supports the democratic aspirations of all people.” While Egypt specifically was absent from the speech, the White House put out a statement shortly after supporting the Egyptian people’s right to assemble and “have a say in how [they] are governed.”

Here is where you can watch the State of the Union address or read the full transcript. You can also read the White House statement on the developments in Egypt here.